Monday, October 17, 2005

Poor and minority neighbourhoods get the hazardous waste

You didn't seriously think they were going to allow it in rich, white neighbourhoods, did you? From American Progress:

Being nonwhite and poor in Massachusetts is dangerous. A new study reveals that "24 of the 30 communities with the most environmentally hazardous sites have nonwhite populations of 25 percent or more." Communities with nonwhite populations of 25 percent or more "average about ten times more releases of chemical pollution from industrial facilities per square mile than white communities (less than 5 percent minority)." These populations are also exposed to a higher amount of carcinogens, toxins, and other pollution from environmentally hazardous facilities, putting them at higher risk for related health problems. "The results of this new report just confirm what many communities of color and low income communities have been fighting against for years -- that they host an unfair share of environmental problems," concluded Professor Eric Krieg, one of the study's authors.